Persona 5: The bonds they share
by kuntakintae
Summary: 'The many times he was there for them, and the time they were there for him' OR 'Akira had always been a rapport, a pillar of support to each and every one of them. Watch as he helps each and every one of them, and in turn, it's about time they return the favor.'
1. Chapter 1

Ryujii Sakamoto had always known that he was a man of many weaknesses.

He was hot tempered, painfully vulgar, incredibly insensitive and astoundingly slow to the uptake in ANY discussions.

Yet, he had always believed that despite all those weaknesses, there was one good trait about him that made up for it, that would bring him through all trials and difficulties that may beseige him from all fronts- and that was his unwillingness to lose, his determination to never give up even when things are hopeless.

When the phantom theieves were still active, everytime they encountered major difficulties and setbacks, he had always been the first one to say that they had to fight back. Even when everyone was disheartened, he was the one to voice out that they needed to overcome the challenge, no matter what.

While it was true he never really helped to solve any problems the phantom theieves faced- other than his rare and unintententional strokes of 'genius',- he was a motivating force behind them to push them forward- be it through making them angry or irritating them beyond the point of endurance that they forget about their sadness and decided to focus on the task simply to shut him up and make him stop his tantrums.

However, the problem he faced now was probably the biggest predicament and challenge he had faced since the time the police was trying to capture him and the others- no, it was worse this time as the problem he faced now was ONLY his, and he didnt have anyone else sharing his plight.

"We are sorry to inform you that your application into the school of sports science and management has been rejected. If you are still keen on taking this course, please apply for an interview on our website ..."

The black, bolded words seemed to taunt him as they stood out blaringly against the white background of the screen, as though it was mocking him for even failing to get into the course which he specialised in.

Panic and eventually despair started to claw at his heart as he read and reread the patronizing words.

Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't _that_ stupid. It was true that his grades for finals barely passed - even with the help of the smartest girl in school, Makoto,- but that was only because he was too lazy to study.

Hence, the moment he got the rejection letter, he knew why. It was quite obvious,after all.

Kamoshida may have been officially recognised as a disgrace of a teacher, but that could not erase the stain of him acyislly attacking a teacher. That itself was enough reason for most universities to reject him at first glance.

Another obvious reason was simple- his horrendous grades. It was true that sports sceince and management didn't need good grades, but grades reflected the attitude of said person- and his weren't exactly at the top rung of the ladder.

Probably the most important reason- the most painful one- was that his leg had been broken before. Even now, after three years, he still couldn't run as fast as he did in the past.

It had been a long time since he let the injury weigh his mind down. He had accepted it and moved on- like how he did with the track team.

He had never expected the injury to haunt him, and definitely not in this manner. Maybe he should have, but it didn't matter anymore.

He groaned and cursed under his breath, his hand running through his hair-a habit he did whenever something troubldd him,- his usual scowl deepening, hiding his true feelings deep within. His mind raced as he tried to think up of anything that could help him.

The interview was a lost cause. He was as illiterate as a brainless mutt when it came to formal talks. He would not be able to say anything to save his life, much less impress the interviewers to the point of letting him in.

Wait for the next year to apply? He couldn't do that either. His mother's health was weakening- the toll of being a single parent finally showing after so many years. He didn't want to burden her for an extra year. His heart ached everytime he saw her drooping eyes and tensed shoulders- he wanted to erase that as soon as possible.

After mulling for a few more minutes, his temper finally flared and he brought his fist down onto the table. Hard. The loud thud could be heard throughout the entire house.

"Ryuuji? Is something wrong?" His mother's kind voice came from the kitchen. He cursed silently.

"Nothing, mom! Just hit my knee on the table by accident! It's fine!"

When no reply came, he sighed in relief. He didn't want his mom to worry about his studies. She already had enough to worry about without him being an extra nuisance.

"This sucks..." he quietly groaned to himself. A breath later, he stood up and carefully navigated his way through his cluttered room to his cupboard and took out a set of running attire.

He needed to clear his mind, and exercise never seized to create that wondrous miracle on him- it was HIS mind he was talking about, after all.

* * *

The cold bit against his skin, and the gentle breeze that would be normally appreciated in summer did nothing but make him feel worse in the cold that winter brought about.

The sun was high up in the sky though, with few clouds to block its rays of warmth. A small blessing in the dreary afternoon of the cold winter.

Despite that, however, his body was soaked through with sweat, and the slightest breeze caused his body to shiver uncontrollably as the combined effects of a wet body and cold wind attacked his senses.

Panting for breath, he finally stopped jogging and clutched his knees, his body bent over slightly as he tried to recover from the lack of breath. It wasn't easy, considering that the dry air was difficult to breathe in, much less help him regain much oxygen. It took him around fifteen minutes just to breathe normally- or as normal as he could with his spasming body.

He hadn't ran this hard in a long while.

Folding his arms around his chest-a vain attempt to warm himself up- he trudged wearily towards the direction of his house.

For the first time, the run didn't help him. He didn't feel that much calmer at all, and the cold didn't help at all to soothe his frayed nerves.

In his red jumper suit and track pants, he was the only one that stood out in the park. Winter was hardly a season where people liked to exercise, and the park was empty save for one or two hardcore exercisers.

And he felt more alone than ever.

He had thought about calling for a meeting with the rest of the phantom theieves. Despite the fact that they had went their seperate ways, they were as close as they were during their debut as the phantom theieves. But, after thinking about it, he decided against it.

Makoto was busy in university- enrolling into law and police enforcement courses,- Futaba was still studying in high school, Haru was busy managing her father's company and also planning to start her new cafe, Morgana was with Ann at Akihibasa doing a model photoshoot, Yusuke was holding an art exhibition in Hokkaido while Akira was working in Leblanc- inheriting it from Mr Sakura a year ago after he decided to take a break.

Basically, they were all moving on with their lives successfully while he wasn't.

Ryuuji rarely let self-pity take form in his heart, but with the situation at hand, he didn't really know what else he could do.

He sighed miserably, watching as mist rolled out of his mouth. Honestly, the only solution he could think of now was to go for the interview, but wasn't it a lost cause to begin with? Reluctance kept on sprouting in him whenever he thought about it.

"Ryuuji? Is that you?" A soothing voice floated through the air from behind. Ryuuji's eyes widened as he recognised the familiar voice all too well and turned around, drinking in the sight of his best friend.

"Woah, Akira? You're exercising too? What about the shop?" Ryuuji asked in surprise.

Akira, in his red overalls, chuckled. "The old man wanted to take over for today. Said something along the lines of 'not wanting the name of Leblanc to be tarnished too much'." Ryuuji chuckled as well after hearing that.

"Sounds just like him," Ryuuji commented. The two shared a moment of comfortable silence as they walked seemingly without direction.

Both of them were deep in their owm thoughts, and neither spoke up to break the silence. Years of friendship and the supernatural experience of fighting beside each other, however, made it so that they could be comfortable even without conversation.

Akira, however, seemed to sense thst something was wrong. It had been twenty minutes, and the normally boisterous blonde haired boy did not even say a single word. It was very unlike him.

"Something troubling you?" Akira asked, concern lacing his voice. Ryuuji's shoulders seemed to deflate, and a sigh could be heard from him.

Ryuuji was conflicted. He did not want to burden his best friend with his problems- hell, who knew how many times Akira had pulled him out of trouble,- but he also knew that Akira could read him like an open book, and would not give up till he dragged whatever was ailing him out of his mouth.

After much internal debate, Ryuuji sighed again in resignation.

"My application got rejected." His voice was clipped and controlled as he tried to hide how much of a disappointment it was and how deeply it affected his emotional state.

Akira stayed silent for a moment, and Ryuuji could feel his eyes boring down on him as he purposely adverted his gaze from Akira. He was, after all, a prideful person by nature. It might have been toned down after the years of maturing, but by the large, it still dominated.

Humbling himself to confide in just anyone was still too hard for him. Perhaps only the members of the phantom theieves, or maybe only Akira could cause him to be willing to humble himself and confide in them.

"What are your options?" Akira asked, his tone serious and yet containing a hint of infectious calmness.

"Wait to apply again next year or go for an interview."

"So the latter choice then," Akira stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Ryuuji's mouth gaped open, but closed quickly afterward, morphing into a small grin.

Akira always had a sharp eye, with terrifying analytical and discerning skills to back it up. It was one of the many reasons why he had been the one to lead the phsntom theieves in the past.

"Yea, thats the only option I have. I can't wait till next year- I can't burden my mom longer than I need to," Ryuuji's fists clenched tightly as he thought about it.

"You seem unsure about it, though," Akira replied. Ryuuji paused at that, unsure of what to say.

"...I don't want to fail," Ryuuji admitted through clenched teeth. "I've failed in so many things - my track team, my studies, even my family is in tatters."

He ran a hand through his hair once again, and then scratched the back of his neck-something he did whenever he felt awkward or embarrassed.

"Dammit! This course is my only hope," As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop his voice from cracking slightly.

He could succeed where he failed- train a track team to greatness instead of himself, improve his grades in a subject he was _really_ interested in and earn enough money to release the burden his mom held every single day.

On the premise he actually got in, that is.

"What makes you think you'll fail?" Akira's voice cut through his depressing thoughts like a hot knife theough butter. Ryuuji's wide eyes finally turned and met Akira's.

By this time, they had already stopped walking. Ryuuji vaguely recognized the area as the centre of the park. Somehow, the direction of their movement had changed from towards the exit to the opposite.

Akira's face held a small smile. "The Ryuuji I know won't even consider failure as one of the results, much less fear it."

His words hit home like a ton of bricks and pierced through the layer of self-pity that had been enshrouding his mind and heart.

"Don't be entrapped by your own weaknesses and society's expectations. We may have lost our personas, but that doesn't mean we have lost the ability to face and overcome our inner demons."

Ryuuji chuckled wryly, realising just how true Akira's words were.

"You have some pretty vocab there," Ryuuji said, his shoulders slowly relaxing, a smile lighting up his face- the most genuine one in a while.

Akira merely chuckled.

"...You're hella right. Seems like I've been running away, huh."

"Yup."

"I just got to go for the damn interview, right?"

"Yup."

"Full-on brash and obnoxious mode?"

"I'm sure they aren't looking for quiet people to lead star teams."

Ryuuji laughed at that and nodded, his inner turmoil finally dissipitating, replaced by a familiar determination that coarsed and burned through his veins.

"I am going to get that spot."

"That's the way," Akira cheered, and Ryuuji could see the usual, knowing, annoyingly confident smirk on Akira's face- the same smirk he showed whenever everything went according to his plans.

"Why do I feel like you knew it would turn out this way," Ryuji commented. Akira's grin widened.

"Because I did." Ryuuji snorted, though the smile on his face held.

"Cocky bastard," Ryuuji replied, and they noth shared a good laugh.

It had been a while since they talked like this.

"Well," Akira started to speak. "Why not we go celebrate your recovered confidence?"

"Where?"

Akira jerked his thumb over his shoulder, shooting a teasing smile at him.

Ryuuji's eyes followed the line of sight of the finger and landed on a shop that he was all too familiar with.

"Oh."

"My treat. Your tastes haven't changed that much, right?" Akira said with a teasing smile.

"No way in hell. Let's go get some ramen!" Ryuuji raised his voice carefreely.

"You better own that interview," Akira threatened, though the mischievious glint in his eyes gave it away.

"I'll blast through it. Just you watch," Ryuuji replied, confidence flowing freely with every word.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Yea," Ryuuji's habits kicked in, and his hand once again found its way to the back of his neck.

"Thanks. For everything."

"Yea."

A day later, he submitted his application for for the interview.

A week later, he attended it.

A month later, he took his first step into his new class.


	2. Ann Takamaki

I'm sorry, but I think we will be giving this shoot to Naikiri instead," The director of the photoshoottold Ann coldly.

Ann opened her mouth to say something, but the director had already turned his back on her, not even bothering about her anymore.

Anger and rage coarsed through her. She had travelled all the way from a photoshoot in America to Japan to do this photoshoot, and they decided to throw her away just like this? Granted, she was just a junior model- and not even based in Japan- but was this how they treated models they've already accepted?

Of course, it wasn't entirely the director's fault. Naikiri- the a pretty face that masked a conniving devil- had spread malicious rumors about her to the people working under the director.

The rumors had worked their way up to even the director's level- who foolishly believed them, by the looks of it. It seemed that most of the crew believed it as well, as most seemed to eye her with hidden digust while some openly frowned at her.

"...Fine," Ann growled, choosing not to pursue the matter as an uneasy feeling started to well up inside her, feeling all the unfriendly gazes.

As quickly and respectably as she could for a person who had just been forcefully resigned from a position, she left the studio and emerged from the building onto the streets of tokyo.

"...Honestly, why did I even try? I should have known somebody would do something to steal my role," Ann muttered, her anger and rage wearing off now, being replaced by weariness and fatigue.

This photoshoot had been an attempt at restarting her career. America had started off well, but the competition there was off the charts.

People backstabbed others constantly, spreading rumors and plotting schemes behind each other, using each other as stepping stones instead of working together with each other.

It had disgusted her to no end, seeing so many with perfect faces but such abyssmal personalities. She had lookes down on these type of practices, and disdained using them.

It had cost her though. While others flew bounds ahead and up the ladder in the modeling world, she moved up like a snail on a steep upward slope. Integrity and hard work were not as appreciated as people made it out to be.

After a year of struggling fruitlessly in America, she had decided to fly to Japan to start anew- and hoped that the people in Japan would appreciate people who had work ethics more.

It was disheartening to know that even halfway across the world, it was still the same. It made her question whether she should even continue working in the modeling industry- because as painful it was to admit it, she was not going to be able to make a living like this.

"Ann?" A soothing, surprised voice floated through the air. "Is that you?"

Ann's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. Her depressing thoughts momentarily forgotten, she spun towards the direction of the voice, a smile brightening up her face as joy and excitement immediately washed away the shame and disappointment she felt.

"Akira!" She exclaimed, her eyes taking in the lean, messy-haired, bespectacled man standing two meters away from her, hands full of groceries which she assumed was for either his home use or for Leblanc.

It had been three years since she left Japan to work in America. Other than video calls, she hadn't been able to meet Akira in person.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the shoot?" Akira asked curiously as he walked nearer to her till he stood an arm's length away from her.

The memories came back, and her face darkened consideranly. Akira noticed, and knew something went wrong.

"C'mon," Akira said, turning and starting to walk. Ann stared at his back, stunned. Akira turned and shot her a grin.

"You don't look very happy, so I'm gonna make you some curry and coffee," Akira explained in his usual insufferably cocky way. Ann rolled her eyes, but couldn't resist a grin from surfacing as well and started to catch up to him.

* * *

The sound of curry sizzling filling the room and the mixed aroma of curry and coffee seemed to saturate the air.

"Are you sure you can close the shop just like that?" Ann asked in an unsure tone, an eyebrow raised in question as she sat comfortably behind the counter.

"Its a wednesday afternoon. Customers don't come at this time," Akira said nonchalently, using his ladle to flip the chickens on the stove.

"If you're sure," Ann shrugged, trusting his words. She realised that even after three years since all of them went their seperate ways, Akira still existed as 'Joker' to her- in a sense that he was still a firm pillar of support and a supply of sound wisdom.

A comfortable silence ensued- they both knew the time to talk was when the food came. Akira concentrated his attention on cooking the curry while Ann waited patiently, taking in the sight of Leblanc.

The layout hadn't changed much at all. Wooden shelves still lined the wall behind the counter, with countless different bottles of wine and packets of coffee beans arranged neatly. Sayuri still hung beside the entrance, giving her a sense of peace and calm as she observed it. The seats looked like they had been refurbished sometime in the past three years, but overall, the cafe gave off the usual retro feeling.

It comforted her to know that even as she changed, as her circumstances changed, as her life changed, Leblanc- where she had found a group of friends so close she could call them family- still stayed the same.

Leblanc was a sacred place to her. It was- and still is- a place of refuge and comfort, hidden from the troubles and free of the oppressive flow of the world.

Her attention refocused on Akira as he walked towards her, a plate of smoking curry chicken with rice held expertly in his hand.

"Lunch is served," He said in a suave tone- cocky grin in place again- as he placed the plate in front of her. The aroma of the curry assaulted her nose- spicy and tangy. Nostalgia hit her like a brick.

It had been too long since she had come here.

She slowly picked up the spoon from tbe plate and took a scoop. She closed her eyes and she placed it in her mouth and chewed.

The taste exploded in her mouth, and her taste buds seemed to buzz in joy and excitement as the spiciness and tanginess of the curry assaulted them.

"It's...as good as ever," Ann praised after she swallowed the spoonful. Suddenly, a cup of lukewarm coffee was placed beside her plate of curry, the aroma mixing with the curry's.

She never understood how two so very unrelated food and drink could smell so good when together, but she never complained either.

"Take a sip," Akira prompted her. She nodded and took a sip, savoring the taste- not too sweet nor too bitter. More importantly, it complimented the curry well- a mixture of perfection.

"Judging by your expression, it's as good as you remember?" Akira asked, a triumphant grin plastered to his face. Ann replied by wolfing down more curry and coffee. Only after the first scoop did she realise she was famished- she hadn't had the time to eat.

She could hear Akira chuckle, but she ignored him completely. Food first- always.

Ten minutes, a plate of curry and a cup of coffee later, Ann was sitting quietly before a now-cleaned table, watching as Akira washed the plate and cup she had used in her meal. Another cup of coffee was placed tantalizingly in front of her, causing her to force herself to ration her sips.

The scene right now- Akira washing the dishes while she waited- brought back many fond memories. Memories of their Shujin academy days, when they were still students by day, theieves by night.

Nostalgia poured into her once again. That period of time had been the most dangerous- with the police on their tails- but it had been the best time of her life as well.

"Talking through texts and calls is pretty different from face to face, huh?" Ann said as Akira took a chair and sat behind the counter opposite her.

"It is refreshing to see you in person again. Video calls just doesn' match up to reality," Akira said, sipping on his own cup of coffee. She could literally _smell_ the bitterness of it.

"I'm still amazed and disgusted at how you are able to drink that," Ann commented. Akira laughed.

"Coffee regulars like me like them this bitter. You're too inexperienced," Akira said smugly, and Ann snorted.

"So," Akira started, his tone turning serious. "What happened?"

Ann stilled, and the memories of earlier came rushing back. Her worries started to trouble her once again, and sadness started to invade her heart. She stared at the counter, her shoulders slumped as she rested her head on her hand-elbow supported by table- as her other hand drew circles on it with an index finger.

"...I came to Japan to start anew," Ann started, her voice low and soft. "America was too competitive. Too much backstabbing, and I couldn't climb up the modelling ladder due to my disdain for resorting to such actions."

Akira didn't answer, but she knew he was listening. She could feel his gaze on her, and she appreciated the full attention.

Akira had always been an excellent listener.

"I made a request to one of the directors of a certain magazine- one I really liked. I was accepted, and I was so happy," Her voice started to crack a little. "But I was, once again, too naive and foolish."

"I should have expected it. Just because I'm on tbe other side of ths world doesn't msan the people are any different. One of the other models spread rumors, and you can guess what happened next."

Ann sighed deeply, exhaustion filling her. Her future was twisted and foggy. She had no idea how to proceed anymore- and to be honest, a little fear was starting to grow in her.

She had voided her contracts in America for Japan. She had planned to pick up the pace with the recent modelling job. Who would have guessed she would hit a road block so quickly and swiftly.

With such a bad start, her morale was low, and she didn't have much hope or motivation to carry on trying.

"Society is harsh," Akira started after a few seconds of silence. "They only keep the useful, throw away the useless. They don't care about whether you're honest or not, or whether you're a backstabber or a saint."

Ann sighed again. What he said couldn't be any more true.

"But," Akira emphasized, and Ann couldn't help but perk up. Akira's words always held wisdom beyond his years. "That could be used to your advantage as well."

"How?" Ann asked immediately. "How is it to my advantage? As far as I have experienced, the successful models are the ones who use underhanded means."

Her voice rose a little, and frustration laced her voice. She was getting agitated- the anger and disappointment she had been holding in not just for the day, but for the past few years, were showing.

"Ann," Akira's firm but calming voice reverberated through fhe air, and it somehow soothed her frayed nerves a little.

" _Please_ tell me," Ann whispered, and she could feel a tear escaping. "I can't take much any more. I'm failing, and I don't know the direction I should go."

Akira stayed silent, and she could almost _hear_ the gears in his head working.

"I can give you a direction, but it isn't going to be easy," Akira stated. Hope blasted throigh Ann, and she suddenly felt more determimed than ever before- her initial lack of motivation gone.

If there was a way-any way at all to succeed without doing anything unethical- she would pursue it to the end.

"Just tell me," Ann said, determination full in her voice. Akira stared at her, then shook his head and smiled a little.

"I'm glad you haven't lost your rebellious spirit," Akira grinned. Ann scowled and glared at him, but merely huffed in annoyance.

"I'm glad you haven't lost your brain, though the insufferable prick that appears sometimes should be banished," Akira laughed at her words, amusement apparent in it. She rolled her eyes- nothing ever shook Akira. Well, almost.

"All you need to do," Akira started. "Are two things."

"One, get better at modelling. Make sure your skills are miles ahead of others."

"Two," Akira immediately continued after the first point. "To be smart and wise enough to either avoid or be able to counter any bsckstab that comes your way."

Ann thought deeply about his words after he finished. The first point was easy enough- she had been modelling since a young age. Her skills were way better than her peers- she simply never showed them much due to fear of more competitive models targeting her.

The second point was much harder. While she had a naturally nice body figure and good skills, her intelligence and wisdom were lacking- compared to Akira.

It sounded easy- simple, really. They were solutions even inexperienced people could come up with. The problem was actually putting it into action.

"...That _is_ hard," Ann muttered just loud enough for Akira to hear.

"If you can do it, your journey would be relatively smoother," Akira added. Ann sighed but nodded.

"I'll try," Ann said. "I'll try my best, but Akira, if I ever need your advice, do you mind...?" Ann asked shyly, tentatively. She didn't want to trouble Akira, but she needed help- she knew her weaknesses, and Akira was perfect to make up for it.

"Of course! Now that you're in Japan, I could even go straight to your studio and give the manager a piece of my mind," Akira said in mock-anger.

Ann smiled widely at his reply, and warmth filled her. Akira had always been there at her worst moments, and even after so many years, he still was willing to be there for her.

The warmth turned into strength for her to carry on, and she no longer looked at going back to work with dread, but instead with anticipation.

"Akira," Ann called his name. He looked into her eyes, eyebrow scrunched up a little as he wondered what she was going to say.

"Thank you," Her voice filled with emotion. She didn't know whether he knew how much his help had meant to her, and hoped her voice could convey what words couldn't.

His cocky grin came back into place, and he tilted his head downwards a little in acknowledgement, replying in four simple words.

"Always here for you."


End file.
